Dwyane Wade has opened up about his journey of self-reflection and personal growth in his approach to parenting and understanding masculinity. This came about after his daughter, Zaya, opened up to him about her identity as a transgender person.
Speaking at the Creative Artists Agency Amplify event in Ojai, California, the former NBA superstar had a heartfelt conversation with fellow NBA star Chris Paul and manager Lisa Metelus, per NBC News.
When asked about the moment Zaya came out to him as transgender, Wade confessed that he had been preparing himself for a similar conversation ever since Zaya referred to herself as "gay" in a school assignment at the age of eight.
Wade, who is married to actress Gabrielle Union, vividly recalls the moment. He said, "So I came home and I just remember my child being scared to talk to me, like hiding in my wife’s arm in a chair." Despite considering himself a 'cool dad', he noticed fear in Zaya's eyes.
This prompted Wade to introspect. "I had to go look myself in the mirror and ask myself: ‘Why was my child scared? Scared to tell me something about herself?’" He admitted that he realized the need to listen more attentively, not only to Zaya but also to experts on the matter.
Reflecting on his previous parenting style, Wade shared, "In a lot of work as parents — and as people — what we do is we put our fears and everything on our kids. And I guess I was doing that."
He added, "So I had to go look myself in the mirror and ask myself... What is it about my masculinity that has my child afraid?"
Despite typically maintaining a private stance about his family on social media, Wade faced public scrutiny after posting a Thanksgiving photo which included Zaya, sporting a crop top and acrylic nails. The reaction was, as Wade recounts, swift and intense.
"The world went crazy," Wade said, revealing how he immediately adopted a protective stance for his child, despite still having "so much" to learn himself. One of the toughest obstacles for the family was handling the public’s "miseducation."
Wade humorously mentioned that he was labeled as gay for supporting his daughter's identity. He went on to joke about the pink nail polish he was wearing.
He ended on a note of wisdom, saying, "I think the hardest part about it is shutting out the world and shutting out the people that really are not in (our) circle. But they have opinions and we are a public-facing family."
